Rewarding players for completing team challenges

ABSTRACT

In a method of rewarding players for completing a team challenge, an initiation of a team challenge by a player of an online social game is detected. Based on an online social network of the player, an option for the friend of the player to participate in the team challenge is generated. A completion of the team challenge by the player and the friend of the player is detected. A reward is provided to at least one of the player and the friend of the player based on the detecting of the completion of the team challenge.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/077,706, filed Mar. 31, 2011, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM OFINCORPORATING TEAM CHALLENGES INTO A SOCIAL GAME,” which claims thebenefit U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/425,221, filed Dec. 20,2010, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM OF INCORPORATING TEAM CHALLENGES INTOA SOCIAL GAME,” all of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates generally to the technical field ofimplementing social games, and, in one specific example, toincorporating team challenges into computer-implemented online socialgames.

BACKGROUND

In many games, there is a virtual world or some other imagined playingspace where a player/user of the game controls one or more playercharacters (herein “character,” “player character,” or “PC”). Playercharacters can be considered in-game representations of the controllingplayer. As used herein, the terms “player,” “user,” “entity,” and“friend” may refer to the in-game player character controlled by thatplayer, user, entity, or friend, unless context suggests otherwise. Thegame display can display a representation of the player character. Agame engine accepts inputs from the player, determines player characteractions, decides outcomes of events and presents the player with a gamedisplay illuminating what happened. In some games, there are multipleplayers, wherein each player controls one or more player characters.

In many computer games, there are various types of in-game assets (aka“rewards” or “loot”) that a player character can obtain within the game.For example, a player character may acquire game points, gold coins,experience points, character levels, character attributes, virtual cash,game keys, or other in-game items of value. In many computer games,there are also various types of in-game obstacles that a player mustovercome to advance within the game. In-game obstacles can includetasks, puzzles, opponents, levels, gates, actions, and so forth. In somegames, a goal of the game may be to acquire certain in-game assets,which can then be used to complete in-game tasks or to overcome certainin-game obstacles. For example, a player may be able to acquire avirtual key (i.e., the in-game asset) that can then be used to open avirtual door (i.e., the in-game obstacle).

An electronic social networking system typically operates with one ormore social networking servers providing interaction between users suchthat a user can specify other users of the social networking system as“friends.” A collection of users and the “friend” connections betweenusers can form a social graph that can be traversed to find second,third and more remote connections between users, much like a graph ofnodes connected by edges can be traversed.

Many online computer games are operated on an online social network.Such a network allows both users and other parties to interact with thecomputer games directly, whether to play the games or to retrieve game-or user-related information. Internet users may maintain one or moreaccounts with various service providers, including, for example, onlinegame networking systems and online social networking systems. Onlinesystems can typically be accessed using browser clients (e.g., Firefox,Chrome, Internet Explorer).

In many computer games, there are various types of in-game actions thata player character can make within the game. For example, a playercharacter in an online role-playing game may be able to interact withother player characters, build a virtual house, attack enemies, go on aquest, go to a virtual store to buy/sell virtual items, and the like. Aplayer character in an online poker game may be able to play at specifictables, place bets of virtual currency for certain amounts, play or foldcertain hands, play in a online poker tournament, and so forth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation inthe figures of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a system forimplementing various disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a social networkwithin a social graph;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating example modules of a gamenetworking system for incorporating team challenges into a social game;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example method of incorporatingteam challenges into a social game;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an additional example method ofincorporating team challenges into a social game;

FIG. 6 is a table illustrating an example set of team challengedefinitions;

FIG. 7 is a table illustrating an additional example set of teamchallenge definitions;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a webpage-basedgame interface for an online game accessed by a browser client;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example dashboard for teamchallenges for a poker game;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example dashboard for teamchallenges for a poker game;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example user interface forlisting buddies of the player;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example user interface foraccessing pokergrams;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example user interface for afriend feed;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example data flow between thecomponents of a system;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example network environment,in which various example embodiments may operate; and

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing systemarchitecture, which may be used to implement a server or a clientsystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding ofvarious embodiments of the present subject matter. It will be evident,however, to those skilled in the art that various embodiments may bepracticed without these specific details.

In various embodiments, methods and systems of rewarding players forcompleting team challenges are disclosed. An initiation of a teamchallenge by a player of an online social game is detected. Based on anonline social network of the player, an option for the friend of theplayer to participate in the team challenge is generated. A completionof the team challenge by the player and the friend of the player isdetected. A reward is provided to at least one of the player and thefriend of the player based on the detecting of the completion of theteam challenge.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a system 100 forimplementing various disclosed embodiments. In particular embodiments,system 100 comprises player 101, social networking system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, client system 130, and network 160. Thecomponents of system 100 can be connected to each other in any suitableconfiguration, using any suitable type of connection. The components maybe connected directly or over a network 160, which may be any suitablenetwork. For example, one or more portions of network 160 may be an adhoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN),a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network(WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), aportion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched TelephoneNetwork (PSTN), a cellular telephone network, another type of network,or a combination of two or more such networks.

Social networking system 120 a is a network-addressable computing systemthat can host one or more social graphs. Social networking system 120 acan generate, store, receive, and transmit social networking data.Social networking system 120 a can be accessed by the other componentsof system 100 either directly or via network 160. Game networking system120 b is a network-addressable computing system that can host one ormore online games. Game networking system 120 b can generate, store,receive, and transmit game-related data, such as, for example, gameaccount data, game input, game state data, and game displays. Gamenetworking system 120 b can be accessed by the other components ofsystem 100 either directly or via network 160. Player 101 may use clientsystem 130 to access, send data to, and receive data from socialnetworking system 120 a and game networking system 120 b. Client system130 can access social networking system 120 a or game networking system120 b directly, via network 160, or via a third-party system. As anexample and not by way of limitation, client system 130 may access gamenetworking system 120 b via social networking system 120 a. Clientsystem 130 can be any suitable computing device, such as a personalcomputer, laptop, cellular phone, smart phone, computing tablet, and thelike.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular number of players 101, socialnetworking systems 120 a, game networking systems 120 b, client systems130, and networks 160, this disclosure contemplates any suitable numberof players 101, social networking systems 120 a, game networking systems120 b, client systems 130, and networks 160. As an example and not byway of limitation, system 100 may include one or more game networkingsystems 120 b and no social networking systems 120 a. As another exampleand not by way of limitation, system 100 may include a system thatcomprises both social networking system 120 a and game networking system120 b. Moreover, although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular arrangement ofplayer 101, social networking system 120 a, game networking system 120b, client system 130, and network 160, this disclosure contemplates anysuitable arrangement of player 101, social networking system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, client system 130, and network 160.

The components of system 100 may be connected to each other using anysuitable connections 110. For example, suitable connections 110 includewireline (such as, for example, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or DataOver Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS)), wireless (such as,for example, Wi-Fi or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAX)) or optical (such as, for example, Synchronous Optical Network(SONET) or Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)) connections. Inparticular embodiments, one or more connections 110 each include one ormore of an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a VPN, a LAN, aWLAN, a WAN, a WWAN, a MAN, a portion of the Internet, a portion of thePSTN, a cellular telephone network, or another type of connection, or acombination of two or more such connections. Connections 110 need notnecessarily be the same throughout system 100. One or more firstconnections 110 may differ in one or more respects from one or moresecond connections 110. Although FIG. 1 illustrates particularconnections between player 101, social networking system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, client system 130, and network 160, thisdisclosure contemplates any suitable connections between player 101,social networking system 120 a, game networking system 120 b, clientsystem 130, and network 160. As an example and not by way of limitation,in particular embodiments, client system 130 may have a directconnection to social networking system 120 a or game networking system120 b, thereby bypassing network 160.

Online Games and Game Systems Game Networking Systems

In an online computer game, a game engine manages the game state of thegame. Game state comprises all game play parameters, including playercharacter state, non-player character (NPC) state, in-game object state,game world state (e.g., internal game clocks, game environment), andother game play parameters. Each player 101 controls one or more playercharacters (PCs). The game engine controls all other aspects of thegame, including NPCs and in-game objects. The game engine also managesgame state, including player character state for currently active(online) and inactive (offline) players.

An online game can be hosted by game networking system 120 b, which canbe accessed using any suitable connection with a suitable client system130. A player may have a game account on game networking system 120 b,wherein the game account can contain a variety of information associatedwith the player (e.g., the player's personal information, financialinformation, purchase history, player character state, game state,etc.). In some embodiments, a player may play multiple games on gamenetworking system 120 b, which may maintain a single game account forthe player with respect to all the games, or multiple individual gameaccounts for each game with respect to the player. In some embodiments,game networking system 120 b can assign a unique identifier to eachplayer 101 of an online game hosted on game networking system 120 b.Game networking system 120 b can determine that a player 101 isaccessing the online game by reading the user's cookies, which may beappended to Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests transmitted byclient system 130, and/or by the player 101 logging onto the onlinegame.

In particular embodiments, player 101 may access an online game andcontrol the game's progress via client system 130 (e.g., by inputtingcommands to the game at the client device). Client system 130 candisplay the game interface, receive inputs from player 101, transmituser inputs or other events to the game engine, and receive instructionsfrom the game engine. The game engine can be executed on any suitablesystem (such as, for example, client system 130, social networkingsystem 120 a, or game networking system 120 b). As an example and not byway of limitation, client system 130 can download client components ofan online game, which are executed locally, while a remote game server,such as game networking system 120 b, provides backend support for theclient components and may be responsible for maintaining applicationdata of the game, processing the inputs from the player, updating and/orsynchronizing the game state based on the game logic and each input fromthe player, and transmitting instructions to client system 130. Asanother example and not by way of limitation, each time player 101provides an input to the game through the client system 130 (such as,for example, by typing on the keyboard or clicking the mouse of clientsystem 130), the client components of the game may transmit the player'sinput to game networking system 120 b.

Game Systems, Social Networks, and Social Graphs

In an online multiplayer game, players may control player characters(PCs) and a game engine controls non-player characters (NPCs) and gamefeatures. The game engine also manages player character state and gamestate and tracks the state for currently active (i.e., online) playersand currently inactive (i.e., offline) players. A player character canhave a set of attributes and a set of friends associated with the playercharacter. As used herein, the term “player character state” can referto any in-game characteristic of a player character, such as location,assets, levels, condition, health, status, inventory, skill set, name,orientation, affiliation, specialty, and so on. Player characters may bedisplayed as graphical avatars within a user interface of the game. Inother implementations, no avatar or other graphical representation ofthe player character is displayed. Game state encompasses the notion ofplayer character state and refers to any parameter value thatcharacterizes the state of an in-game element, such as a non-playercharacter, a virtual object (such as a wall or castle), and so forth.The game engine may use player character state to determine the outcomeof game events, sometimes also considering set or random variables.Generally, a player character's probability of having a more favorableoutcome is greater when the player character has a better state. Forexample, a healthier player character is less likely to die in aparticular encounter relative to a weaker player character or non-playercharacter. In some embodiments, the game engine can assign a uniqueclient identifier to each player.

In particular embodiments, player 101 may access particular gameinstances of an online game. A game instance is a copy of a specificgame play area that is created during runtime. In particularembodiments, a game instance is a discrete game play area where one ormore players 101 can interact in synchronous or asynchronous play. Agame instance may be, for example, a level, zone, area, region,location, virtual space, or other suitable play area. A game instancemay be populated by one or more in-game objects. Each object may bedefined within the game instance by one or more variables, such as, forexample, position, height, width, depth, direction, time, duration,speed, color, and other suitable variables. A game instance may beexclusive (i.e., accessible by specific players) or non-exclusive (i.e.,accessible by any player). In particular embodiments, a game instance ispopulated by one or more player characters controlled by one or moreplayers 101 and one or more in-game objects controlled by the gameengine. When accessing an online game, the game engine may allow player101 to select a particular game instance to play from a plurality ofgame instances. Alternatively, the game engine may automatically selectthe game instance that player 101 will access. In particularembodiments, an online game comprises only one game instance that allplayers 101 of the online game can access.

In particular embodiments, a specific game instance may be associatedwith one or more specific players. A game instance is associated with aspecific player when one or more game parameters of the game instanceare associated with the specific player. As an example and not by way oflimitation, a game instance associated with a first player may be named“First Player's Play Area.” This game instance may be populated with thefirst player's PC and one or more in-game objects associated with thefirst player. In particular embodiments, a game instance associated witha specific player may only be accessible by that specific player. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a first player may access a firstgame instance when playing an online game, and this first game instancemay be inaccessible to all other players. In other embodiments, a gameinstance associated with a specific player may be accessible by one ormore other players, either synchronously or asynchronously with thespecific player's game play. As an example and not by way of limitation,a first player may be associated with a first game instance, but thefirst game instance may be accessed by all first-degree friends in thefirst player's social network. In particular embodiments, the gameengine may create a specific game instance for a specific player whenthat player accesses the game. As an example and not by way oflimitation, the game engine may create a first game instance when afirst player initially accesses an online game, and that same gameinstance may be loaded each time the first player accesses the game. Asanother example and not by way of limitation, the game engine may createa new game instance each time a first player accesses an online game,wherein each game instance may be created randomly or selected from aset of predetermined game instances. In particular embodiments, the setof in-game actions available to a specific player may be different in agame instance that is associated with that player compared to a gameinstance that is not associated with that player. The set of in-gameactions available to a specific player in a game instance associatedwith that player may be a subset, superset, or independent of the set ofin-game actions available to that player in a game instance that is notassociated with him. As an example and not by way of limitation, a firstplayer may be associated with Blackacre Farm in an online farming game.The first player may be able to plant crops on Blackacre Farm. If thefirst player accesses a game instance associated with another player,such as Whiteacre Farm, the game engine may not allow the first playerto plant crops in that game instance. However, other in-game actions maybe available to the first player, such as watering or fertilizing cropson Whiteacre Farm.

In particular embodiments, a game engine can interface with a socialgraph. Social graphs are models of connections between entities (e.g.,individuals, users, contacts, friends, players, player characters,non-player characters, businesses, groups, associations, concepts,etc.). These entities are considered “users” of the social graph; assuch, the terms “entity” and “user” may be used interchangeably whenreferring to social graphs herein. A social graph can have a node foreach entity and edges to represent relationships between entities. Anode in a social graph can represent any entity. In particularembodiments, a unique client identifier can be assigned to each user inthe social graph. This disclosure assumes that at least one entity of asocial graph is a player or player character in an online multiplayergame, though this disclosure contemplates any suitable social graphusers.

The minimum number of edges required to connect a player (or playercharacter) to another user is considered the degree of separationbetween them. For example, where the player and the user are directlyconnected (one edge), they are deemed to be separated by one degree ofseparation. The user would be a so-called “first-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through one otheruser (two edges), they are deemed to be separated by two degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “second-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through N edges (orN−1 other users), they are deemed to be separated by N degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “Nth-degree friend.” As usedherein, the term “friend” means only first-degree friends, unlesscontext suggests otherwise.

Within the social graph, each player (or player character) has a socialnetwork. A player's social network includes all users in the socialgraph within Nmax degrees of the player, where Nmax is the maximumdegree of separation allowed by the system managing the social graph(such as, for example, social networking system 120 a or game networkingsystem 120 b). In one embodiment, Nmax equals 1, such that the player'ssocial network includes only first-degree friends. In anotherembodiment, Nmax is unlimited and the player's social network iscoextensive with the social graph.

In particular embodiments, the social graph is managed by gamenetworking system 120 b, which is managed by the game operator. In otherembodiments, the social graph is part of a social networking system 120a managed by a third-party (e.g., Facebook, Friendster, Myspace). In yetother embodiments, player 101 has a social network on both gamenetworking system 120 b and social networking system 120 a, whereinplayer 101 can have a social network on the game networking system 120 bthat is a subset, superset, or independent of the player's socialnetwork on social networking system 120 a. In such combined systems,game network system 120 b can maintain social graph information withedge type attributes that indicate whether a given friend is an “in-gamefriend,” an “out-of-game friend,” or both. The various embodimentsdisclosed herein are operable when the social graph is managed by socialnetworking system 120 a, game networking system 120 b, or both.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a social network200 within a social graph. As shown, Player 201 can be associated,connected or linked to various other users, or “friends,” within theout-of-game social network 250. These associations, connections or linkscan track relationships between users within the out-of-game socialnetwork 250 and are commonly referred to as online “friends” or“friendships” between users. Each friend or friendship in a particularuser's social network within a social graph is commonly referred to as a“node.” For purposes of illustration and not by way of limitation, thedetails of out-of-game social network 250 will be described in relationto Player 201. As used herein, the terms “player” and “user” can be usedinterchangeably and can refer to any user or character in an onlinemultiuser game system or social networking system. As used herein, theterm “friend” can mean any node within a player's social network.

As shown in FIG. 2, Player 201 has direct connections with severalfriends. When Player 201 has a direct connection with anotherindividual, that connection is referred to as a first-degree friend. Inout-of-game social network 250, Player 201 has two first-degree friends.That is, Player 201 is directly connected to Friend 1 ₁ 211 and Friend 2₁ 221. In a social graph, it is possible for individuals to be connectedto other individuals through their first-degree friends (i.e., friendsof friends). As described above, each edge required to connect a playerto another user is considered the degree of separation. For example,FIG. 2 shows that Player 201 has three second-degree friends to whom heis connected via his connection to his first-degree friends.Second-degree Friend 1 ₂ 212 and Friend 2 ₂ 222 are connected to Player201 via his first-degree Friend 1 ₁ 211. The limit on the depth offriend connections, or the number of degrees of separation forassociations, that Player 201 is allowed is typically dictated by therestrictions and policies implemented by social networking system 120 a.

In various embodiments, Player 201 can have Nth-degree friends connectedto him through a chain of intermediary degree friends as indicated inFIG. 2. For example, Nth-degree Friend 1 _(N) 219 is connected to Player201 via second-degree Friend 3 ₂ 232 and one or more other higher-degreefriends. Various embodiments may utilize the distinction between thevarious degrees of friendship relative to Player 201.

In particular embodiments, a player (or player character) can have asocial graph within an online multiplayer game that is maintained by thegame engine and another social graph maintained by a separate socialnetworking system. FIG. 2 depicts an example of in-game social network260 and out-of-game social network 250. In this example, Player 201 hasout-of-game connections 255 to a plurality of friends, formingout-of-game social network 250. Here, Friend 1 ₁ 211 and Friend 2 ₁ 221are first-degree friends with Player 201 in his out-of-game socialnetwork 250. Player 201 also has in-game connections 265 to a pluralityof players, forming in-game social network 260. Here, Friend 2 ₁ 221,Friend 3 ₁ 231, and Friend 4 ₁ 241 are first-degree friends with Player201 in his in-game social network 260, and friend 4 ₂ 242 is asecond-degree friend with Player 201 in his in-game social network 260.In some embodiments, it is possible for a friend to be in both theout-of-game social network 250 and the in-game social network 260. Here,Friend 2 ₁ 221 has both an out-of-game connection 255 and an in-gameconnection 265 with Player 201, such that Friend 2 ₁ 221 is in bothPlayer 201's in-game social network 260 and Player 201's out-of-gamesocial network 250.

As with other social networks, Player 201 can have second-degree andhigher-degree friends in both his in-game and out-of-game socialnetworks. In some embodiments, it is possible for Player 201 to have afriend connected to him both in his in-game and out-of-game socialnetworks, wherein the friend is at different degrees of separation ineach network. For example, if Friend 2 ₂ 222 had a direct in-gameconnection with Player 201, Friend 2 ₂ 222 would be a second-degreefriend in Player 201's out-of-game social network, but a first-degreefriend in Player 201's in-game social network. In particularembodiments, a game engine can access an in-game social network 260,out-of-game social network 250, or both.

In particular embodiments, the connections in a player's in-game socialnetwork can be formed both explicitly (e.g., users must “friend” eachother) and implicitly (e.g., system observes user behaviors and“friends” users to each other). Unless otherwise indicated, reference toa friend connection between two or more players can be interpreted tocover both explicit and implicit connections, using one or more socialgraphs and other factors to infer friend connections. The friendconnections can be unidirectional or bidirectional. It is also not alimitation of this description that two players who are deemed “friends”for the purposes of this disclosure are not friends in real life (i.e.,in disintermediated interactions or the like), but that could be thecase.

Game Systems

A game event may be an outcome of an engagement, a provision of access,rights and/or benefits, or the obtaining of some assets (e.g., health,money, strength, inventory, land, etc.). A game engine determines theoutcome of a game event according to a variety of factors, such as thegame rules, a player character's in-game actions, player characterstate, game state, interactions of other player characters, and randomcalculations. Engagements can include simple tasks (e.g., plant a crop,clean a stove), complex tasks (e.g., build a farm or business, run acafé), or other events.

An online game can be hosted by a game networking system 620 b, whichcan be accessed over any suitable network with an appropriate clientsystem 630. A player may have a game system account on game networkingsystem 620 b, wherein the game system account can contain a variety ofinformation about the player (e.g., the player's personal information,player character state, game state, etc.). In various embodiments, anonline game can be embedded into a third-party website. The game can behosted by the networking system of the third-party website, or it can behosted on game networking system 320 b and merely accessed via thethird-party website. The embedded online game can be hosted solely on aserver of game networking system 620 b or using a third-party vendorserver. In addition, any combination of the functions of the presentdisclosure can be hosted on or provided from any number of distributednetwork resources. For example, one or more executable code objects thatimplement all or a portion of the game can be downloaded to a clientsystem for execution.

Virtual Currency

In various embodiments, players within the game can acquire virtualcurrency. In such games, the virtual currency might be represented byvirtual coins, virtual cash, or by a number or value stored by theserver for that player's benefit. Such virtual currency represents unitsof value for use in the online game system, and is analogous to legalcurrency. Virtual currency can be purchased in one or more actual cashor credit transactions by a player, where the legal currency istransferred using a credit/debit/charge card transaction conveyed over afinancial network. In some embodiments, a player may earn virtualcurrency by taking action in the game. For example, a player may berewarded with one or more units of virtual currency after completing atask, quest, challenge, or mission within the game. For example, afarming game might reward 10 gold coins each time a virtual crop isharvested.

In some embodiments, virtual currency can be used to purchase one ormore in-game assets or other benefits. For example, a player may be ableto exchange virtual currency for a desired level, access, right, or itemin an online game. In one embodiment, legal currency can be used todirectly purchase an in-game asset or other benefit. The player canselect the desired in-game asset or other benefit. Once appropriateselections are made, the player can place the order to purchase thein-game asset or other benefit. This order is received by the gamenetworking system 620 b, which can then process the order. If the orderis processed successfully, an appropriate financial account associatedwith the player can be debited by the amount of virtual currency orlegal currency needed to buy the selected in-game asset or otherbenefit.

In some embodiments, multiple types of virtual currency may be availablefor purchase from the game system operator. For example, an online gamemay have virtual gold coins and virtual cash. The different types ofvirtual currency may have different exchange rates with respect to legalcurrency and each other. For example, a player may be able to exchange$1 in legal currency for either 100 virtual gold coins or $2 in virtualcash, but virtual gold coins may not be exchanged for virtual cash.Similarly, where in-game assets and other benefits can be purchased withvirtual currency, they may have different exchange rates with respect tothe different types of virtual currency. For example, a player may beable to buy a virtual business object for $10 in virtual cash, but maynot purchase the virtual business object for virtual gold coins alone.In some embodiments, certain types of virtual currency can be acquiredby engaging in various in-game actions while other types of virtualcurrency can only be acquired by exchanging legal currency. For example,a player may be able to acquire virtual gold coins by selling virtualgoods in a business, but can only acquire virtual cash by exchanginglegal currency. In some implementations, virtual cash may also beawarded for leveling up in the game.

Team Challenges

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating example modules of the gamenetworking system 120 b related to incorporating team challenges into asocial game. As defined herein, a “challenge” is a task or problem. Forexample, a challenge relating to a poker game may be to win a hand orwin a particular number of hands in a row. As defined herein, a “teamchallenge” is a challenge for two or more members of a team. Forexample, a team challenge relating to a poker game may be that two ormore players each win a particular number of hands in a row. A team mayinclude an initiator of the team challenge and one or more helpers.

A team challenge may be a collaborative team challenge or a competitiveteam challenge. In a collaborative team challenge, each of the two ormore members of the team work collaboratively to complete the challenge.In some embodiments, one or more of the members of the team may beassigned a different task than other members of the team. In acompetitive team challenge, one or more members of the team competeagainst other members of the team in completing the challenge. Forexample, a competitive team challenge related to a poker game may be toknock out (e.g., take the last on-table chips of) as many players aspossible in 48 hours. The winner of such a competitive challenge may bethe member of the team who knocks out the most players.

The game networking system 120 b includes a team challenge module 301that is configured to incorporate team challenges into a social game.The team challenge module 301, in turn, includes various modules302-322. The definition module 302 is configured to receive, generate,and maintain definitions of team challenges. (Definitions are describedin more detail below.) The exposure module 304 is configured to exposethe team challenges to the players of the social game. For example, theexposure module 304 may publish information pertaining to a teamchallenge in a “friend feed” of a player. The dashboard module 306 isconfigured to provide a dashboard to a player for viewing the status ofor participating in team challenges.

The participation module 308 is configured to receive or detect anindication of interest by a player in participating in a team challengeeither as an initiator or as a helper. The accessing module 310 isconfigured to access one or more social networks of a player (e.g., anout-of-game social network or an in-game social network of the player).For example, the accessing module 310 may obtain a list of all of aplayer's friends from the social networks of the player. The accessingmodule 310 may also obtain private information about the player from thesocial network.

The helper-listing module 312 is configured to display information aboutone or more buddies of the player that the player may invite toparticipate in the challenge. The helper-listing module 312 may list allfriends of the player derived from the accessing of the social networkby the accessing module 310. The helper-listing module 312 may also lista subset of the friends (e.g., recommended friends) based on informationobtained from the social network or based on information known by thegame networking system 120 b independently of the information obtainedfrom the social network. For example, the helper-listing module 312 maylist the most active players of the social game as recommended friends.

The helper-selection module 314 is configured to receive a selection ofone or more of a player's buddies to invite as helpers toward thecompletion of a team challenge. The helper-notification module 316 isconfigured to notify the helpers of their selection by the player via anin-game or out-of-game communication mechanisms. In-game communicationmechanisms may include shouts (e.g., messages displayed temporarily to aplayer while the player is accessing the social game), pokergrams(described below), or friend feeds (described below). Out-of-gamecommunication mechanisms may include email messages or postings on asocial network site on behalf of the player. Additionally, out-of-gamecommunication mechanisms may include interfacing with an out-of-gamesocial networking system to post items to a news feed of the player'sbuddies or post a request that the player's buddies perform an action(e.g., help the player complete a team challenge). The detection module320 is configured to detect whether the participants in a team challenge(e.g., the initiator and his one or more helpers) have completed theteam challenge.

The reminder module 318 is configured to remind players of theirparticipation in the team challenge or the requirements to complete it.For example, the reminder module 318 may notify the participants of theteam challenge of a time remaining to complete the team challenge. Thereward module 322 is configured to provide a reward to the participantsof a team challenge based on their completion of the team challenge. Thereward may include in-game or out-of-game rewards, or a combination ofin-game and out-of-game rewards. For example, the reward may includevirtual cash or experience points, or both. Or the reward may include agift certificate or actual cash.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example method 400 ofincorporating team challenges into a social game. At operation 402, thedefinition module 302 receives definitions of one or more teamchallenges. A definition may include a name of the challenge (e.g.,“EasyMoney,” “3-to-Get-Ready,” “Risky Business,” “Hat Tricks,”“Knockouts,” or “Gunslingers”). A definition may include an objective(or requirement) of the challenge. For example, a definition may specifythat the objective is for each member of the team to win a hand, winthree hands in a row, go all in (e.g., bet all of one's chips) and win ahand, take a player's last on-table chips, win a particular type ofpoker game (e.g., a particular round of a shootout), or have aparticular level of performance in a particular type of poker game(e.g., place in the top 5% of players in a weekly tournament). Adefinition may include a number of times that the objective must be met.For example, a definition may specify that the objective must be metthree times. In this case, if the objective is for each member of theteam to win three hands in a row, the challenge would be completed wheneach member of the team wins three hands in a row three times.

A definition may include a number (e.g., an exact, minimum, or maximumnumber) of members of the team that must complete the task. For example,the definition may specify that five players must complete thechallenge. In this case, if the objective is for each member of the teamwin a hand, the challenge would be completed when five members of theteam win a hand.

A definition may include a time constraint. For example, the definitionmay specify that the challenge must be completed in a particular numberof minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years.

A definition may include one or more rewards that members of the teammay receive upon completion of the task. All members of the team may beoffered the same reward. Alternatively, one or more members of the teammay be offered a different reward than one or more other members of theteam. For example, the initiator of the challenge may be offered areward that has a higher value than rewards offered to other members ofthe team. The reward may be virtual currency, experience points, goldcoins, or any combination of such rewards.

A definition may include a starting cost. For example, the definitionmay specify that each member of the team must make a particular virtualcurrency payment (e.g., $500 in poker chips) in order to participate inthe challenge.

A definition may include a start window. In other words, the definitionmay specify a window of time (e.g., 24 hours) in which an initiator of achallenge may start a challenge a maximum number of times.

A definition may include the maximum number of times that the initiatormay start the challenge in the start window. For example, the definitionmay specify that the initiator may initiate a particular challenge(e.g., win a hand) a maximum of five times during the start window.

A definition may include a help window. In other words, the definitionmay specify a window of time (e.g., 12 hours) in which a helper may helptoward the completion of a challenge a maximum number of times.

A definition may include the maximum number of times that the helper mayhelp toward the completion of the challenge in the help window. Forexample, the definition may specify that a helper may help complete aparticular challenge (e.g., win three hands in a row) a maximum of fivetimes during the help window.

A definition may include an ordering for the challenge. For example, thedefinition may specify an index number (e.g., “1”) for a first challengethat is lower than an index number (e.g., “3”) for a second challengebased on a determination that the first challenge is an easier challengethan the second challenge. A status module (described below) may use theordering associated with each challenge to determine the order in whichto present the challenges to the user.

A definition of a collaborative team challenge may include differentelements than a definition of a competitive team challenge. For example,a definition of either type of team challenge may include commonelements of an objective, a minimum number of buddies, and a timeconstraint. However, a competitive team challenge may include, inaddition to the common elements, a player clock that starts running whenthe team challenge is accepted by the player and stops running after apredetermined amount of time elapses (e.g., 1 hour), a global challengeclock that determines when players' scores will be compared, an “unlocklevel” value that specifies a level of experience that a player musthave to initiate or participate in the team challenge, and a buy-invalue that specifies an amount of in-game currency (e.g., poker chips)that a player must provide to participate in the challenge. Examples ofsets of team challenge definitions are illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7.

Additionally, the rewards for a competitive team challenge may be basedon the total of all of the player buy-ins. For example, the first placewinner may receive 50% of the buy-ins, the second-place winner mayreceive 30% of the buy-ins, and the third-place winner may receive 20%of the buy-ins.

Each of the one or more definitions of the team challenges may beprovided by an administrator of the game-networking system 120 b.Alternatively, the definition may be generated automatically based on anenumeration of possible tasks.

At operation 404, the exposure module 304 exposes the team challenges toplayers of the social game. For example, the exposure module 304 maydisplay a “Challenge” icon (e.g., Challenge icon 810 of FIG. 8) withinthe user interface of the social game. The “Challenge” icon, whenclicked by a player, may cause the dashboard module 306 to display astatus of the player with respect to each of the defined teamchallenges. Or the exposure module 304 may cause a button or linkpertaining to the challenges to be displayed in a news feed (e.g., a newfeed associated with the social game or a news feed associated with theout-of-game social network 102 a).

For example, if one of a player's buddies is making progress toward thecompletion of a team challenge, the exposure module 304 may cause a newsitem pertaining to the team challenge to be displayed in an in-game newsfeed (e.g., “Friend Feed”) of the player. The news item may include abutton or link related to team challenges. Upon a clicking of the buttonor link, the dashboard module 306 may present a user interface fromwhich the player can indicate his willingness to help a buddy complete achallenge or from which the player can initiate a new challenge.

At operation 406, the dashboard module 306 displays informationpertaining to the team challenges (e.g., in response to a clicking ofthe “Challenge” icon by a player from within the user interface of thegame, as described above). The dashboard may be a user interface fromwhich a player can initiate a challenge, agree to help buddies completea challenge, or call for help in completing the player's own challengeor a challenge of one of the player's buddies.

The dashboard may display information from the definition of each teamchallenge, such as the objective of the team challenge, the timeconstraint associated with the challenge, and the number of helpers thatmust complete the challenge. The dashboard may also display a live timershowing a countdown of a time remaining for the completion of eachchallenge that the player has initiated or agreed to help complete. Thedashboard may also show a progress toward the completion of eachchallenge (e.g., a percentage of completion) for which the player is aninitiator or helper. The dashboard may also show which players havecompleted their portion of each team challenge. For example, in a statusentry for each challenge, the dashboard may show a picture of eachplayer who has completed a portion of the challenge.

The dashboard may separate (e.g., via tabs of a user interface) adisplay of information pertaining to team challenges initiated by theplayer from a display of information pertaining to team challengesinitiated by the player's buddies. The dashboard may also organize theinformation about the team challenges such that information about newteam challenges, in-progress team challenges, completed team challenges,and failed team challenges is grouped together.

For each team challenge that has not been initiated by the player, thedashboard may provide a mechanism (e.g., a “Start and Get Help” button)by which the player may initiate the challenge.

For each team challenge that has been initiated by one of the player'sbuddies, but for which the player has not yet agreed to help, thedashboard may provide a mechanism (e.g., a “Help Buddy” button) throughwhich the player may indicate his willingness to help his buddy completethe task. When a player clicks on this user interface element, thedashboard module 306 may also provide (e.g., via the participationmodule 308) the player with an option to select additional players tohelp his buddy toward the completion of the task.

For each team challenge that has been initiated by the player or one ofthe player's buddies, but has not yet been completed by enough buddies,the dashboard module 306 may provide a mechanism (e.g., a “Call forHelp” button) through which the player may request (e.g., via theparticipation module 308) additional buddies to help complete the task.

For each team challenge that is completed, the dashboard may displayinformation about the reward. For example, if a team challenge iscompleted, but the player did not perform that task he was assigned, theplayer may be notified that he did not receive a reward. Or, if the teamchallenge is completed, and the player completed his portion of the teamchallenge, the player may be notified that he received the reward, suchas a particular amount of virtual currency (e.g., poker chips) and aparticular amount of experience points.

For each team challenge that is not completed, the dashboard may displayinformation about why the task was not completed. For example, thedashboard may indicate that particular players completed their portionsof the team challenge, but particular other players did not completetheir portions.

At operation 408, the participation module 308 receives a request from aplayer to initiate or help a buddy complete one of the team challenges.For example, the request may be received as a result of the playerclicking on a “Start and Get Help” button associated with the teamchallenge on the dashboard described above.

At operation 410, the accessing module 310 accesses informationpertaining to one or more social networks of the player. The socialnetworks may be in-game social networks or out-of-game social networks.The information may be information that the player previously allowedthe game networking system 120 b to extract from the social networkingsystem 120 a. For example, when accessing the social game for the firsttime, the player may have granted permission for the game networkingsystem 120 b to access to the information. The information may be anyinformation that the social networks maintain about the player,including personal information about the player and listings of theplayer's acknowledged friends.

At operation 412, the helper-listing module 312 provides (e.g., via auser interface) a set of the player's buddies who may be willing to helpthe player complete the team challenge. The set of the player's buddiesmay be based on information obtained from the social networks of theplayer. The set of the player's buddies may also be based on informationmaintained by the gaming network system 120 a independently of theinformation obtained about the buddies from the social networks of theplayer. The helper-listing module 312 may determine recommended helpersbased on the information about the buddies. The helper-listing module312 may provide a listing of all of the player's friends on a first tabof a user interface and a listing of recommended ones of the player'sfriends on a second tab of the user interface.

At operation 414, the helper-selection module 314 receives a selectionof helpers from the set of buddies. For example, the player may selectthe helpers from the displayed set of the player's buddies by selectinga checkbox user interface element associated with each of the selectedbuddies and displayed by the helper-listing module 312.

At operation 416, the helper-notification module 316 notifies thehelpers of their selection to participate in the team challenge. Forexample, the helper-notification module 316 may notify the selectedbuddies via an email message or a posting on the player's behalf on anout-of-game social network. Thus, even selected buddies who have neveraccessed the social game network 120 b may be notified of theirselection by the player. The helper-notification module 316 may notifyselected buddies who are also players of the game via one or morein-game mechanisms, such as shouts, pokergrams, friend feeds, messagecenters, or other mechanisms.

At operation 418, operations 408-416 are repeated for each of theselected buddies. At operation 420, the detection module 320 detectswhether the initiator and the helpers have completed their respectiveportions of the team challenge.

At operation 422, the reminder module 322 provides a status of thecompletion of the project to the initiator and the helpers. For example,if a team challenge is about to end (e.g., the time limit of the teamchallenge is about to be exceeded), the reminder module 322 may remindthe initiator and helpers about what needs to be done and how much timeis left.

At operation 424, the reward module 324 provides rewards to theinitiator and the helpers based on the completion of the team challenge.For example, upon a completion of a team challenge, the initiator andthe helpers may each receive $5,000 in virtual cash and 40 experiencepoints. In various embodiments, the reward module 324 provides a rewardonly when the player takes an action to claim the reward (e.g., when theuser clicks on a “Claim Reward” button).

The reward module 322 may also update information regarding eachplayer's level of mastery of team challenges. For example, the rewardmodule 324 may associate a mastery level with each player. The rewardmodule 324 may also provide a visual bar showing the percentage ofachieving the next mastery level. For example, a player that completes1-4 team challenges might have a “Beginner” mastery level, a player thatcompletes 5-9 challenges may have an “Intermediate” mastery level, aplayer that completes 10-24 challenges may have an “Advanced” masterylevel, and a player that completes 25 or more challenges may have a“Mastered” mastery level.

The reward module 324 may incorporate information regarding challengemastery into a profile of the user. For example, underneath a picture ofthe player in the player profile, the reward module 324 may display themastery level. Mastery levels may be tracked with regard to teamchallenges as a whole or for individual team challenges.

The reward module 324 may unlock more advanced team challenges forparticipation by the user based on the player's mastery level of easierteam challenges or based on the player's experience level (e.g., asdetermined by experience points received by the player for performingvarious in-game tasks, including participating in team challenges).

The reward module 324 may increase the amount of the reward for achallenge that has not been completed and for which the time limit isabout to be reached. In this case, the reward module 324 may notifyplayers of the new reward amount (e.g., via the reminder module 322).

The reward module 324 may keep track of challenges that were notcompleted successfully and notify the initiators and helpers of thereward they lost by not completing the challenge and who was responsiblefor the failure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example method 500 ofincorporating team challenges into a social game. At operation 502, theparticipation module 308 receives a request to start a team challenge,with the team challenge including an in-game task that a plurality ofplayers is to complete. The plurality of players may include aninitiator and a helper. At operation 504, the helper-selection module314 receives a selection of the helpers from a set of buddies, with theset of buddies being based on a social network of the initiator. Atoperation 506, the detection module 320 detects a completion of thein-game task by each of the plurality of players. At operation 508, thereward module 324 provides a reward to each of the plurality of playersbased on the detection of the completion.

FIG. 6 is a table illustrating an example set 600 of team challengedefinitions. Each of the elements of each of the definitions of the set600 is described above with respect to FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a tableillustrating an additional example set 700 of team challengedefinitions. Each of the elements of each of the definitions of the set700 is described above with respect to FIG. 4. In example embodiments,the set 600 may correspond to collaborative team challenges and the set700 may correspond to competitive team challenges.

Game Interfaces

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a webpage-basedgame interface for an online game accessed by client systems 630. Invarious embodiments, a user 101 of a client system 630 can use a browserclient (e.g., Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, etc.) to access theonline game over the Internet (or other suitable network). The gameinterface 870 illustrated in FIG. 8 may be automatically generated andpresented to the user in response to the user visiting or accessing thegame operator's website or a third-party's website from client system130 with a browser client. Game networking system 120 b can transmitdata to client system 130, thereby allowing it to display game interface870, which is typically some type of graphic user interface. Forexample, the webpage downloaded to client system 130 may include anembedded call that causes client system 130 to download an executableobject, such as a Flash .SWF object, which executes on client system 130and renders the game within the context of the webpage. Other interfacetypes are possible, such as server-side rendering and the like. Gameinterface 870 is configured to receive signals from the user 101 viaclient system 130. For example, the user 101 can click on game interface870 or enter commands from a keyboard or other suitable input device.The game engine can respond to these signals to allow game play. Thedisplay of game interface 870 can change based on the output of the gameengine, the input of the player, and other signals from game networkingsystem 120 b and client system 130.

The game interface 870 can display various game components, such as thegame environment, options available to the player (e.g., in-gameactions, preferences, settings, etc.), game results, and so forth. Somecomponents of the game interface may be static, while others may bedynamic (e.g., changing with game play). The user may be able tointeract with some components (e.g., player character, NPCs, virtualobjects, etc.) and not interact with other components (e.g., thebackground of the virtual world, such as the virtual street orsidewalk). The user can engage in specific in-game actions or activitiesby providing input to game interface 870.

In the example online game illustrated in FIG. 8, the user plays pokeron a virtual poker table in an online social game. Game interface 870shows the virtual poker table and various actions that the user canperform. The player can interact with various elements of the interface,such as the call, fold, and raise buttons of the action bar 820. Theuser can click on (or otherwise activate) various aspects of the gameinterface to provide instructions to the game engine. For example, byclicking on the Challenge icon 810, the user can participate in teamchallenges. In various embodiments, the Challenge icon 810 includes acounter (e.g., “2”) indicating a number of updates to statuses of teamchallenges pertaining to a player (e.g., since the statuses were lastviewed by the player).

The user can also click on various user interface elements in gameinterface 870 to activate various game options. For example, if the userclicks on one of the buttons in action bar 860 to call, fold, or raise,the game engine will alter the game interface 870 to show the result ofthe action. For example, the player could click on the All-in button andthe Raise button, causing the game engine to alter the game interface870 to show all of the player's chips moving toward the center of thetable.

One skilled in the art would appreciate that FIG. 8 is presented merelyas an example of an embodiment of one type of online game and that thepresent disclosure is intended to encompass a variety of game types,including gambling games, role-playing games, puzzle games, and thelike.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example dashboard 900 for teamchallenges for a poker game. The dashboard may be displayed by thedashboard module 306 (e.g., when a player clicks a “Challenge” icon).The dashboard 900 includes tab 902 corresponding to a display ofinformation about a player's current challenges. The dashboard 900includes tab 904 corresponding to information about team challenges thatthe player is helping a buddy complete or a team challenge that a buddyhas requested that the player help the buddy complete. In this example,tab 902 is selected. In various embodiments, the tabs 902 or 904 includea counter (e.g., “4”) indicating the number of new entries to the tabsince the player last viewed the entries on the tab. Each of thecounters may be reset when the player views the entries on a tab.Additionally, new entries on a tab may be highlighted (e.g., new entrieshave a different background color than other entries visible on thetab).

Each of the entries on the tab 902 may include information 908 about theteam challenge, including the name of the challenge, the reward offeredfor the completion of the challenge, the objective of the challenge, thenumber of players who must complete the challenge, and the timeconstraint for the challenge (e.g., “TIME LIMIT: 2 DAYS”). Each of theentries may also include a live counter 910 showing an amount of timeremaining for completion of the team challenge. Each of the entries mayalso include information 912 regarding progress toward the completion ofthe team challenge, such as the percentage of completion of the teamchallenge. The information 912 may include icons indicating the buddieswho have completed their portion of the challenge. Each of the entriesmay include a button 914 for initiating a challenge or for requestingthat buddies help complete the challenge.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example dashboard 1000 forteam challenges for a poker game. The dashboard may be displayed by thedashboard module 306 (e.g., when a player clicks a “Challenge” icon). Inthis example, tab 1002, which corresponds to information aboutchallenges that a player has been asked to participate in or has agreedto participate in, is selected. The entries of tab 1002 are organized bycategory (e.g., category 1004). For example, the category 1004corresponds to “NEW CHALLENGES.” Other categories may includein-progress challenges, completed challenges, or failed challenges.(Although not depicted in the dashboard 900 of FIG. 9, entries of thedashboard 900 may also be organized into categories.) Each entry of tab1002 may include information 1006, including the number of buddiesneeded to complete the challenge, and whether the player has completedhis portion of the team challenge. A button 1008 may indicate whetherthe player has been requested to participate in the team challenge(e.g., “Help Buddy”) or whether additional players are needed tocomplete the team challenge (e.g., “Call for Help”).

FIG. 11. is a block diagram illustrating an example user interface 1100for listing buddies of the player. The player may use the example userinterface 1100 to select a set of buddies for participation in the teamchallenge as helpers. In an example embodiment, the example userinterface 1100 is displayed by the helper-listing module 312. Forexample, the example user interface 1100 may be displayed when a playerinitiates a team challenge or when the player agrees to help a buddycomplete a team challenge. In this example, the tab 1104 is selected,which corresponds to a listing of all the player's buddies who areeligible to participate in the team challenge. In various embodiments,the listing is derived by the accessing module 310 from informationobtained from one or more social networks of the player. For example,the listing may be derived by the helper-listing module 312 frominformation that the accessing module 310 obtains from one or moresocial networks of the player. For example, such information may includepeople that the player has designated as buddies or friends on anout-of-game social network (e.g., Facebook).

The example user interface 1100 includes a tab 1106 for listingrecommended buddies. The listing of recommended buddies may include asubset of buddies listed when tab 1104 is selected. The subset may bebased on information about the player or buddies obtained by theaccessing module from one or more social networks of the player or oneor more social networks of the buddies of the player. Or the subset maybe based on information collected and maintained by the game networkingsystem 120 b with respect to the player or his buddies. For example, thesubset may be based on levels of activities of the player's buddies onthe game networking system 120 b.

Each of the players listed with respect to each of tabs 1104 and 1106may be associated with a selectable user interface element (e.g., checkbox 1102). The player may select one or more of his buddies by clickingon the associated selectable user interface elements. Box 1108 mayinclude a listing of buddies that the player has selected. Each entry inbox 1108 may include a user interface element (e.g., an “X”) that theuser can select to deselect a previously selected buddy. Button 1110 isa user interface element that allows the player to notify the selectedbuddies that the player has requested that the buddies participate in ateam challenge via an in-game or out-of-game messaging mechanism, suchas a pokergram, a friend feed, an email message, and so on. The link1112 is a user interface element that allows the player to notify hisbuddies of his request via postings on an out-of-game social networksite (e.g., Facebook). In example embodiments, the helper-selectionmodule 314 displays a preview of the message that will be posted onwalls of the selected buddies, allowing the player to confirm or cancelthe notification via the out-of-game social networking site based on thepreview.

The example user interface 1100 includes a recommended number 1114 ofbuddies that should help. The helper listing module 312 may base therecommended number of buddies on a task definition or information thatthe accessing module 310 obtains about the player or his buddies fromtheir online social networks or from information that the gamenetworking system 120 b collects and maintains.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example user interface 1200for accessing pokergrams. As defined herein, a “pokergram” may be anin-game notification that has been sent to a player. For example, apokergram may be a message notifying the player of an action one of hisbuddies has performed with respect to a team challenge. One skilled inthe art will understand that such in-game notifications are not limitedto poker games. In fact, they may be used in all types of games. Theexample user interface 1200 may include an icon 1202 for accessing alisting of pokergrams. Each entry (e.g., entry 1204) of the listing mayinclude the notification itself as well as information related to thenotification (e.g., when the notification was sent or links to otheruser interfaces for responding to the notification). The notificationsmay be provided by the helper-notification module 316.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example user interface 1300for a friend feed. As defined herein, a “friend feed” is a userinterface in which news, events, or information about a player's friendsor buddies is presented. For example, a friend feed may displayinformation about team challenges that a player's friends have engagedin. Each such entry (e.g., entry 1302) may specify information about theteam challenge, such as the name of the challenge and the amount of thereward associated with completing the challenge. Each entry may alsoinclude a user interface element (e.g., a button) that enables theplayer to perform an action with respect to the news item (e.g.,indicate a willingness to help a buddy complete a team challenge). Theexposure module 304 or the helper-notification module 316 may integratenews items relating to team challenges into the news feed of the socialgame.

Data Flow

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example data flow between thecomponents of system 510. In particular embodiments, system 510 caninclude client system 530, social networking system 520 a, and gamenetworking system 520 b. The components of system 510 can be connectedto each other in any suitable configuration, using any suitable type ofconnection. The components may be connected directly or over anysuitable network. Client system 530, social networking system 520 a, andgame networking system 520 b can each have one or more correspondingdata stores such as local data store 525, social data store 545, andgame data store 565, respectively. Social networking system 520 a andgame networking system 520 b can also have one or more servers that cancommunicate with client system 530 over an appropriate network. Socialnetworking system 520 a and game networking system 520 b can have, forexample, one or more internet servers for communicating with clientsystem 530 via the Internet. Similarly, social networking system 520 aand game networking system 520 b can have one or more mobile servers forcommunicating with client system 530 via a mobile network (e.g., GSM,PCS, Wi-Fi, WPAN, etc.). In some embodiments, one server may be able tocommunicate with client system 530 over both the Internet and a mobilenetwork. In other embodiments, separate servers can be used.

Client system 530 can receive and transmit data 523 to and from gamenetworking system 520 b. This data can include, for example, webpages,messages, game inputs, game displays, HTTP packets, data requests,transaction information, updates, and other suitable data. At some othertime, or at the same time, game networking system 520 b can communicatedata 543, 547 (e.g., game state information, game system accountinformation, page info, messages, data requests, updates, etc.) withother networking systems, such as social networking system 520 a (e.g.,Facebook, Myspace, etc.). Client system 530 can also receive andtransmit data 527 to and from social networking system 520 a. This datacan include, for example, webpages, messages, social graph information,social network displays, HTTP packets, data requests, transactioninformation, updates, and other suitable data.

Communication between client system 530, social networking system 520 a,and game networking system 520 b can occur over any appropriateelectronic communication medium or network using any suitablecommunications protocols. For example, client system 530, as well asvarious servers of the systems described herein, may include TransportControl Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networking stacks to providefor datagram and transport functions. Of course, any other suitablenetwork and transport layer protocols can be utilized.

In addition, hosts or end-systems described herein may use a variety ofhigher layer communications protocols, including client-server (orrequest-response) protocols, such as the HyperText Transfer Protocol(HTTP and other communications protocols, such as HTTP-S, FTP, SNMP,TELNET, and a number of other protocols, may be used. In addition, aserver in one interaction context may be a client in another interactioncontext. In particular embodiments, the information transmitted betweenhosts may be formatted as HTML documents. Other structured documentlanguages or formats can be used, such as XML, and the like. Executablecode objects, such as JavaScript and ActionScript, can also be embeddedin the structured documents.

In some client-server protocols, such as the use of HTML over HTTP, aserver generally transmits a response to a request from a client. Theresponse may comprise one or more data objects. For example, theresponse may comprise a first data object, followed by subsequentlytransmitted data objects. In particular embodiments, a client requestmay cause a server to respond with a first data object, such as an HTMLpage, which itself refers to other data objects. A client application,such as a browser, will request these additional data objects as itparses or otherwise processes the first data object.

In particular embodiments, an instance of an online game can be storedas a set of game state parameters that characterize the state of variousin-game objects, such as, for example, player character stateparameters, non-player character parameters, and virtual itemparameters. In particular embodiments, game state is maintained in adatabase as a serialized, unstructured string of text data as aso-called Binary Large Object (BLOB). When a player accesses an onlinegame on game networking system 520 b, the BLOB containing the game statefor the instance corresponding to the player can be transmitted toclient system 530 for use by a client-side executed object to process.In particular embodiments, the client-side executable may be aFlash-based game, which can de-serialize the game state data in theBLOB. As a player plays the game, the game logic implemented at clientsystem 530 maintains and modifies the various game state parameterslocally. The client-side game logic may also batch game events, such asmouse clicks, and transmit these events to game networking system 520 b.Game networking system 520 b may itself operate by retrieving a copy ofthe BLOB from a database or an intermediate memory cache (memcache)layer. Game networking system 520 b can also de-serialize the BLOB toresolve the game state parameters and execute its own game logic basedon the events in the batch file of events transmitted by the client tosynchronize the game state on the server side. Game networking system520 b may then re-serialize the game state, now modified, into a BLOBand pass this to a memory cache layer for lazy updates to a persistentdatabase.

With a client-server environment in which the online games may run, oneserver system, such as game networking system 520 b, may supportmultiple client systems 530. At any given time, there may be multipleplayers at multiple client systems 530 all playing the same online game.In practice, the number of players playing the same game at the sametime may be very large. As the game progresses with each player,multiple players may provide different inputs to the online game attheir respective client systems 530, and multiple client systems 530 maytransmit multiple player inputs and/or game events to game networkingsystem 520 b for further processing. In addition, multiple clientsystems 530 may transmit other types of application data to gamenetworking system 520 b.

In particular embodiments, a computed-implemented game may be atext-based or turn-based game implemented as a series of web pages thatare generated after a player selects one or more actions to perform. Theweb pages may be displayed in a browser client executed on client system530. As an example and not by way of limitation, a client applicationdownloaded to client system 530 may operate to serve a set of webpagesto a player. As another example and not by way of limitation, acomputer-implemented game may be an animated or rendered game executableas a stand-alone application or within the context of a webpage or otherstructured document. In particular embodiments, the computer-implementedgame may be implemented using Adobe Flash-based technologies. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a game may be fully or partiallyimplemented as a SWF object that is embedded in a web page andexecutable by a Flash media player plug-in. In particular embodiments,one or more described webpages may be associated with or accessed bysocial networking system 520 a. This disclosure contemplates using anysuitable application for the retrieval and rendering of structureddocuments hosted by any suitable network-addressable resource orwebsite.

Application event data of a game is any data relevant to the game (e.g.,player inputs). In particular embodiments, each application datum mayhave a name and a value, and the value of the application datum maychange (i.e., be updated) at any time. When an update to an applicationdatum occurs at client system 530, either caused by an action of a gameplayer or by the game logic itself, client system 530 may need to informgame networking system 520 b of the update. For example, if the game isa farming game with a harvest mechanic (such as Zynga FarmVille), anevent can correspond to a player clicking on a parcel of land to harvesta crop. In such an instance, the application event data may identify anevent or action (e.g., harvest) and an object in the game to which theevent or action applies. For illustration purposes and not by way oflimitation, system 510 is discussed in reference to updating amulti-player online game hosted on a network-addressable system (suchas, for example, social networking system 520 a or game networkingsystem 520 b), where an instance of the online game is executed remotelyon a client system 530, which then transmits application event data tothe hosting system such that the remote game server synchronizes thegame state associated with the instance executed by the client system530.

In a particular embodiment, one or more objects of a game may berepresented as an Adobe Flash object. Flash may manipulate vector andraster graphics, and supports bidirectional streaming of audio andvideo. “Flash” may mean the authoring environment, the player, or theapplication files. In particular embodiments, client system 530 mayinclude a Flash client. The Flash client may be configured to receiveand run Flash applications or game object codes from any suitablenetworking system (such as, for example, social networking system 520 aor game networking system 520 b). In particular embodiments, the Flashclient may be run in a browser client executed on client system 530. Aplayer can interact with Flash objects using client system 530 and theFlash client. The Flash objects can represent a variety of in-gameobjects. Thus, the player may perform various in-game actions on variousin-game objects by making various changes and updates to the associatedFlash objects. In particular embodiments, in-game actions can beinitiated by clicking or similarly interacting with a Flash object thatrepresents a particular in-game object. For example, a player caninteract with a Flash object to use, move, rotate, delete, attack,shoot, or harvest an in-game object. This disclosure contemplatesperforming any suitable in-game action by interacting with any suitableFlash object. In particular embodiments, when the player makes a changeto a Flash object representing an in-game object, the client-executedgame logic may update one or more game state parameters associated withthe in-game object. To ensure synchronization between the Flash objectshown to the player at client system 530, the Flash client may send theevents that caused the game state changes to the in-game object to gamenetworking system 520 b. However, to expedite the processing and hencethe speed of the overall gaming experience, the Flash client may collecta batch of some number of events or updates into a batch file. Thenumber of events or updates may be determined by the Flash clientdynamically or determined by game networking system 520 b based onserver loads or other factors. For example, client system 530 may send abatch file to game networking system 520 b whenever 50 updates have beencollected or after a threshold period of time, such as every minute.

As used herein, the term “application event data” may refer to any datarelevant to a computer-implemented game application that may affect oneor more game state parameters, including, for example and withoutlimitation, changes to player data or metadata, changes to player socialconnections or contacts, player inputs to the game, and events generatedby the game logic. In particular embodiments, each application datum mayhave a name and a value. The value of an application datum may change atany time in response to the game play of a player or in response to thegame engine (e.g., based on the game logic). In particular embodiments,an application data update occurs when the value of a specificapplication datum is changed. In particular embodiments, eachapplication event datum may include an action or event name and a value(such as an object identifier). Thus, each application datum may berepresented as a name-value pair in the batch file. The batch file mayinclude a collection of name-value pairs representing the applicationdata that have been updated at client system 530. In particularembodiments, the batch file may be a text file and the name-value pairsmay be in string format.

In particular embodiments, when a player plays an online game on clientsystem 530, game networking system 520 b may serialize all thegame-related data, including, for example and without limitation, gamestates, game events, and user inputs, for this particular user and thisparticular game into a BLOB and stores the BLOB in a database. The BLOBmay be associated with an identifier that indicates that the BLOBcontains the serialized game-related data for a particular player and aparticular online game. In particular embodiments, while a player is notplaying the online game, the corresponding BLOB may be stored in thedatabase. This enables a player to stop playing the game at any timewithout losing the current state of the game the player is in. When aplayer resumes playing the game next time, game networking system 520 bmay retrieve the corresponding BLOB from the database to determine themost-recent values of the game-related data. In particular embodiments,while a player is playing the online game, game networking system 520 bmay also load the corresponding BLOB into a memory cache so that thegame system may have faster access to the BLOB and the game-related datacontained therein.

Systems and Methods

In particular embodiments, one or more described webpages may beassociated with a networking system or networking service. However,alternate embodiments may have application to the retrieval andrendering of structured documents hosted by any type of networkaddressable resource or web site. Additionally, as used herein, a usermay be an individual, a group, or an entity (such as a business or thirdparty application).

Particular embodiments may operate in a wide area network environment,such as the Internet, including multiple network addressable systems.FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example network environment610, in which various example embodiments may operate. Network cloud 660generally represents one or more interconnected networks, over which thesystems and hosts described herein can communicate. Network cloud 660may include packet-based WANs (such as the Internet), private networks,wireless networks, satellite networks, cellular networks, pagingnetworks, and the like. As FIG. 15 illustrates, particular embodimentsmay operate in a network environment comprising one or more networkingsystems, such as social networking system 620 a, game networking system620 b, and one or more client systems 630. The components of socialnetworking system 620 a and game networking system 620 b operateanalogously; as such, hereinafter they may be referred to simply asnetworking system 620. Client systems 630 are operably connected to thenetwork environment via a network service provider, a wireless carrier,or any other suitable means.

Networking system 620 is a network addressable system that, in variousexample embodiments, comprises one or more physical servers 622 and datastores 624. The one or more physical servers 622 are operably connectedto computer network 660 via, by way of example, a set of routers and/ornetworking switches 626. In an example embodiment, the functionalityhosted by the one or more physical servers 622 may include web or HTTPservers, FTP servers, application servers, as well as, withoutlimitation, webpages and applications implemented using Common GatewayInterface (CGI) script, PHP Hyper-text Preprocessor (PHP), Active ServerPages (ASP), HTML, XML, Java, JavaScript, Asynchronous JavaScript andXML (AJAX), Flash, ActionScript, and the like.

Physical servers 622 may host functionality directed to the operationsof networking system 620. Hereinafter servers 622 may be referred to asserver 622, although server 622 may include numerous servers hosting,for example, networking system 620, as well as other contentdistribution servers, data stores, and databases. Data store 624 maystore content and data relating to, and enabling, operation ofnetworking system 620 as digital data objects. A data object, inparticular embodiments, is an item of digital information typicallystored or embodied in a data file, database, or record. Content objectsmay take many forms, including: text (e.g., ASCII, SGML, HTML), images(e.g., jpeg, tif and gif), graphics (vector-based or bitmap), audio,video (e.g., mpeg), or other multimedia, and combinations thereof.Content object data may also include executable code objects (e.g.,games executable within a browser window or frame), podcasts, etc.Logically, data store 624 corresponds to one or more of a variety ofseparate and integrated databases, such as relational databases andobject-oriented databases, that maintain information as an integratedcollection of logically related records or files stored on one or morephysical systems. Structurally, data store 624 may generally include oneor more of a large class of data storage and management systems. Inparticular embodiments, data store 624 may be implemented by anysuitable physical system(s) including components, such as one or moredatabase servers, mass storage media, media library systems, storagearea networks, data storage clouds, and the like. In one exampleembodiment, data store 624 includes one or more servers, databases(e.g., MySQL), and/or data warehouses. Data store 624 may include dataassociated with different networking system 620 users and/or clientsystems 630.

Client system 630 is generally a computer or computing device includingfunctionality for communicating (e.g., remotely) over a computernetwork. Client system 630 may be a desktop computer, laptop computer,personal digital assistant (PDA), in- or out-of-car navigation system,smart phone or other cellular or mobile phone, or mobile gaming device,among other suitable computing devices. Client system 630 may executeone or more client applications, such as a web browser (e.g., MicrosoftInternet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, andOpera), to access and view content over a computer network. Inparticular embodiments, the client applications allow a user of clientsystem 630 to enter addresses of specific network resources to beretrieved, such as resources hosted by networking system 620. Theseaddresses can be Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and the like. Inaddition, once a page or other resource has been retrieved, the clientapplications may provide access to other pages or records when the user“clicks” on hyperlinks to other resources. By way of example, suchhyperlinks may be located within the webpages and provide an automatedway for the user to enter the URL of another page and to retrieve thatpage.

A webpage or resource embedded within a webpage, which may itselfinclude multiple embedded resources, may include data records, such asplain textual information, or more complex digitally encoded multimediacontent, such as software programs or other code objects, graphics,images, audio signals, videos, and so forth. One prevalent markuplanguage for creating webpages is HTML. Other common webbrowser-supported languages and technologies include XML, ExtensibleHypertext Markup Language (XHTML), JavaScript, Flash, ActionScript,Cascading Style Sheet (CSS), and, frequently, Java. By way of example,HTML enables a page developer to create a structured document bydenoting structural semantics for text and links, as well as images, webapplications, and other objects that can be embedded within the page.Generally, a webpage may be delivered to a client as a static document;however, through the use of web elements embedded in the page, aninteractive experience may be achieved with the page or a sequence ofpages. During a user session at the client, the web browser interpretsand displays the pages and associated resources received or retrievedfrom the website hosting the page, as well as, potentially, resourcesfrom other websites.

When a user at a client system 630 desires to view a particular webpage(hereinafter also referred to as a target structured document) hosted bynetworking system 620, the user's web browser, or other documentrendering engine or suitable client application, formulates andtransmits a request to networking system 620. The request generallyincludes a URL or other document identifier as well as metadata or otherinformation. By way of example, the request may include informationidentifying the user, such as a user identifier (ID), as well asinformation identifying or characterizing the web browser or operatingsystem running on the user's client computing device 630. The requestmay also include location information identifying a geographic locationof the user's client system or a logical network location of the user'sclient system. The request may also include a timestamp identifying whenthe request was transmitted.

Although the example network environment 610 described above andillustrated in FIG. 15 described with respect to social networkingsystem 620 a and game networking system 620 b, this disclosureencompasses any suitable network environment using any suitable systems.As an example and not by way of limitation, the network environment mayinclude online media systems, online reviewing systems, online searchengines, online advertising systems, or any combination of two or moresuch systems.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing systemarchitecture, which may be used to implement a server 622 or a clientsystem 630. In one embodiment, hardware system 710 comprises a processor702, a cache memory 704, and one or more executable modules and drivers,stored on a tangible computer readable medium, directed to the functionsdescribed herein. Additionally, hardware system 710 may include a highperformance input/output (I/O) bus 706 and a standard I/O bus 708. Ahost bridge 711 may couple processor 702 to high performance I/O bus706, whereas I/O bus bridge 712 couples the two buses 706 and 708 toeach other. A system memory 714 and one or more network/communicationinterfaces 716 may couple to bus 706. Hardware system 710 may furtherinclude video memory (not shown) and a display device coupled to thevideo memory. Mass storage 718 and I/O ports 720 may couple to bus 708.Hardware system 710 may optionally include a keyboard, a pointingdevice, and a display device (not shown) coupled to bus 708.Collectively, these elements are intended to represent a broad categoryof computer hardware systems, including but not limited to generalpurpose computer systems based on the x86-compatible processorsmanufactured by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif., and thex86-compatible processors manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD),Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as any other suitable processor.

The elements of hardware system 710 are described in greater detailbelow. In particular, network interface 716 provides communicationbetween hardware system 710 and any of a wide range of networks, such asan Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, and so forth. Massstorage 718 provides permanent storage for the data and programminginstructions to perform the above-described functions implemented inservers 622, whereas system memory 714 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporarystorage for the data and programming instructions when executed byprocessor 702. I/O ports 720 are one or more serial and/or parallelcommunication ports that provide communication between additionalperipheral devices, which may be coupled to hardware system 710.

Hardware system 710 may include a variety of system architectures andvarious components of hardware system 710 may be rearranged. Forexample, cache 704 may be on-chip with processor 702. Alternatively,cache 704 and processor 702 may be packed together as a “processormodule,” with processor 702 being referred to as the “processor core.”Furthermore, certain embodiments of the present disclosure may notrequire nor include all of the above components. For example, theperipheral devices shown coupled to standard I/O bus 708 may couple tohigh performance I/O bus 706. In addition, in some embodiments, only asingle bus may exist, with the components of hardware system 710 beingcoupled to the single bus. Furthermore, hardware system 710 may includeadditional components, such as additional processors, storage devices,or memories.

An operating system manages and controls the operation of hardwaresystem 710, including the input and output of data to and from softwareapplications (not shown). The operating system provides an interfacebetween the software applications being executed on the system and thehardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may beused, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh OperatingSystem, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIXoperating systems, Microsoft® Windows®operating systems, BSD operatingsystems, and the like. Of course, other embodiments are possible. Forexample, the functions described herein may be implemented in firmwareor on an application-specific integrated circuit.

Furthermore, the above-described elements and operations can becomprised of instructions that are stored on non-transitory storagemedia. The instructions can be retrieved and executed by a processingsystem. Some examples of instructions are software, program code, andfirmware. Some examples of non-transitory storage media are memorydevices, tape, disks, integrated circuits, and servers. The instructionsare operational when executed by the processing system to direct theprocessing system to operate in accord with the disclosure. The term“processing system” refers to a single processing device or a group ofinter-operational processing devices. Some examples of processingdevices are integrated circuits and logic circuitry. Those skilled inthe art are familiar with instructions, computers, and storage media.

Miscellaneous

One or more features from any embodiment may be combined with one ormore features of any other embodiment without departing from the scopeof the disclosure.

A recitation of “a”, “an,” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more”unless specifically indicated to the contrary. In addition, it is to beunderstood that functional operations, such as “awarding,” “locating,”“permitting” and the like, are executed by game application logic thataccesses, and/or causes changes to, various data attribute valuesmaintained in a database or other memory.

The present disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions,variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodimentsherein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend.Similarly, where appropriate, the appended claims encompass all changes,substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the exampleembodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art wouldcomprehend.

For example, the methods, game features and game mechanics describedherein may be implemented using hardware components, softwarecomponents, and/or any combination thereof. By way of example, whileembodiments of the present disclosure have been described as operatingin connection with a networking website, various embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be used in connection with any communicationsfacility that supports web applications. Furthermore, in someembodiments the term “web service” and “website” may be usedinterchangeably and additionally may refer to a custom or generalizedAPI on a device, such as a mobile device (e.g., cellular phone, smartphone, personal GPS, PDA, personal gaming device, etc.), that makes APIcalls directly to a server. Still further, while the embodimentsdescribed above operate with respect to a poker game, the embodimentscan be applied to any game that includes multiple players. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure asset forth in the claims and that the disclosure is intended to cover allmodifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.

1. A computer-implemented method comprising: detecting an initiation ofa team challenge by a player of an online social game; based on anonline social network of the player, generating, with at least oneprocessor, an option for the friend of the player to participate in theteam challenge; detecting a completion of the team challenge by theplayer and the friend of the player; and providing a reward to at leastone of the player and the friend of the player based on the detecting ofthe completion of the team challenge.
 2. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein the team challenge includes a task that each of theplayer and the friend of the player are to perform within the gamebefore a time period expires.
 3. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, further comprising calculating an amount of the reward based ona difficulty of the team challenge.
 4. The computer-implemented methodof claim 2, further comprising calculating the time period based on adifficulty of the team challenge.
 5. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 2, further comprising communicating a progress of each of theplayer and the friend of the player toward the completion of the task.6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:collecting information about the friend of the player from the onlinesocial network of the player; and selecting the friend of the player asa candidate to participate in the team challenge based on theinformation.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein theonline social network is separate from a game networking system of theonline social game.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,further comprising providing a friend of the friend of the player of thegame with an option to participate in the team challenge, the friend ofthe friend of the player of the game not being a friend of the player ofthe game.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein theproviding of the friend of the friend of the player of the game with theoption to participate in the team challenge being based on a selectionof the friend of the friend of the player of the game by the friend ofthe player of the game.
 10. A system comprising: a processor-implementedgame networking system configured to: detect an initiation of a teamchallenge by a player of an online social game; based on an onlinesocial network of the player, generate an option for the friend of theplayer to participate in the team challenge; detect a completion of theteam challenge by the player and the friend of the player; and provide areward to at least one of the player and the friend of the player basedon the detecting of the completion of the team challenge.
 11. The systemof claim 10, wherein the processor-implemented game networking system isfurther configured to calculate an amount of the reward based on adifficulty of the team challenge.
 12. The system of claim 11, whereinthe processor-implemented game networking system is further configuredto calculate the time period based on a difficulty of the teamchallenge.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor-implementedgame networking system is further configured to communicate a progressof each of the player and the friend of the player toward the completionof the task.
 14. The system of claim 10, wherein theprocessor-implemented game networking system is further configured to:collect information about the friend of the player from the onlinesocial network of the player; and select the friend of the player as acandidate to participate in the team challenge based on the information.15. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor-implemented gamenetworking system is further configured to provide a friend of thefriend of the player of the game with an option to participate in theteam challenge, the friend of the friend of the player of the game notbeing a friend of the player of the game.
 16. A non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium embodying a set of instructions that,when executed by at least one processor, causes the processor to performoperations, the operations comprising: detecting an initiation of a teamchallenge by a player of an online social game; based on an onlinesocial network of the player, generating, with at least one processor,an option for the friend of the player to participate in the teamchallenge; detecting a completion of the team challenge by the playerand the friend of the player; and providing a reward to at least one ofthe player and the friend of the player based on the detecting of thecompletion of the team challenge.
 17. The non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the team challengeincludes a task that each of the player and the friend of the player areto perform within the game before a time period expires.
 18. Thenon-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, theoperations further comprising calculating an amount of the reward basedon a difficulty of the team challenge.
 19. The non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium of claim 16, the operations furthercomprising calculating the time period based on a difficulty of the teamchallenge.
 20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium ofclaim 16, the operations further comprising communicating a progress ofeach of the player and the friend of the player toward the completion ofthe task.